Billy Joel drummer royalties case settled

The case concerned royalties payments from numerous Billy Joel recordings dating from 1975 to 1990, and was originally filed at Manhattan Supreme Court in May 2009. Sony Music Entertainment Inc, Joel's record company, was also listed as a defendant.

Paul LiCalsi, one of the lawyers representing Joel, said, "The case has been amicably resolved." He refused to discuss the terms of the settlement, reports BBC News, while DeVitto's lawyer confirmed that the case has been settled but also declined to give any further details.

"Everybody always assumes that you make a lot of money because you worked with Billy Joel," DeVitto told the New York Post. "It didn't happen that way."

59-year-old DeVitto was Billy Joel's drummer for a 30-year period between 1975 and 2005. He played on some of Joel's best-known recordings, including the 1983 single 'Uptown Girl'.